1
: lacking ornament : undecorated
2
: free of extraneous matter : pure
3
: free of impediments to view : unobstructed
4
6
: characterized by simplicity : not complicated
plain home-cooked meals
7
: lacking beauty or ugliness
plainly
adverb
1
a
: an extensive area of level or rolling treeless country
b
: a broad unbroken expanse
2
: something free from artifice, ornament, or extraneous matter
: in a plain manner : without obscurity or ambiguity
saw them clearly and told you plain—
Amer. Documentation
Amer. Documentation
: absolutely sense 1a
plain wrong
Synonyms
Examples of plain in a Sentence
Adjective
It was a plain room with no curtains.
She was wearing plain black shoes.
He printed the picture on plain paper.
a piece of plain chicken
You don't have to call me Mr. Johnson—just plain Fred will be fine.
What he said is a lie, plain and simple.
Noun
the Great Plains of the United States
the first settlers in that area lived on the vast plains in lonely log cabins
Recent Examples on the WebDavid Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
While the rising heat is usually concentrated across plain and coastal regions which are more vulnerable to its impact, experts note that hilly states in the south aren’t immune to higher temperatures, either.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The reign of plain white sneakers has finally come to an end.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Beijing’s hypocrisy and the distance between its rhetoric and deeds are also plain to see.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
And the quick contrast of an eclipse makes this effect plain to see.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
The triangle can now be seen at the back, which can be a fun decorative accent to a backless top or plain white T-shirts.
—Jana Ackermann, Glamour, 5 Apr. 2024
Meg and her staff wrap books in plain paper and write just a few vague words of description on the paper to guide customers' selection.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024
His plain hope is that the current Court will be sympathetic to Scalia’s reasoning.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2024
Matt Stevens, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Constant winds of up to 55 mph are forecast for the Interstate 25 corridor and eastern plains, with gusts up to 80 mph possible there.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2024
In This Article What Are Ramps? How To Cook Ramps
Where To Buy Ramps
Southern states are home to dozens, even hundreds, of indigenous plants that have fed the people who call these rolling hills, expansive plains, and marshy bottoms home for centuries.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
In between the two in size is silt, a mix of rock dust and minerals often found in fertile flood plains.
—Brian Darby, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
In her work with U.S. military veterans here on the Navajo Nation, Bernadine Tyler routinely logs 1,200 miles a month driving across an area the size of West Virginia, over high windswept plains dotted with rust-red mesas.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024
Still reeling from losing their daughter, the couple unexpectedly inherit a remote farm in the Venezuelan plains where they are soon drawn into a nether world.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
However, the white paper-mache bird was actually supposed to be a greater-sage grouse – a bird that lives in the North American plains.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Another spring snowstorm is setting up for the northern plains on Sunday and into early next week.
—Daniel Amarante, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2024
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024
Then, there are Mango’s mesh Mary Janes, which look great with everything from a plain white tee to a must-have denim midiskirt.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024
Stewart also mysteriously swapped her black Chanel t-shirt into a plain white crop top roughly halfway through the video.
—EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024
This bit of climactic dialogue, hammered into plain yet insinuating and increasingly dangerous English by Herzog, is emblematic of this new production.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
There are plenty of reasons to savor the original movie, most of them having to do with the casting, some of it campy and awful in a truly wonderful way, some just plain spectacular.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Davis would have swatted or altered or just plain stopped much of that mess.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024
Thanks to Stone’s abundant charisma, Cruella marks one of the more memorable Disney remakes — chaotic, campy, and just plain fun.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024
But, all too often, a patient’s pain is dismissed or misdiagnosed—for instance, as allergies, IBS, a thyroid disorder, or just plain old period problems, as SELF previously reported.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 14 Mar. 2024
Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
Whereas his first billions were owed to plain, functional, durable clothing at minimal cost, today Uniqlo has moved up the value chain.
—Time, 13 Nov. 2023
My daughter has worn these for two years— everywhere from the icy, windy Colorado plains to the windswept Outer Banks—and she's had toasty toes throughout.
—WIRED, 10 Nov. 2023
Cruz spins these operations into digital content ranging from tips for aspiring investors to plain old-fashioned yacht-flaunting braggadocio.
—Michael Friedrich, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
While most places see snow at the onset, coastal areas likely mix with and changeover to plain rain overnight into Tuesday AM.
—Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2023
Flavored water generally refers to anything that adds flavoring to plain water, whether that be artificial syrups or powders, or something more natural, such as fruit.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 17 Apr. 2023
But there aren’t enough wires stretching from the state’s windy eastern plains to the mesa-top community.
—WIRED, 27 Feb. 2023
Southern areas of the state will at least turn to a wintry mix if not over to plain rain.
—Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2023
Adjective
The cast may be saddled with prosthetics that cover them head to bigfoot toe, but their eyes are plain to see, which allows for a different kind of emoting and extra emphasis on physicality.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
While the rising heat is usually concentrated across plain and coastal regions which are more vulnerable to its impact, experts note that hilly states in the south aren’t immune to higher temperatures, either.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The reign of plain white sneakers has finally come to an end.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Beijing’s hypocrisy and the distance between its rhetoric and deeds are also plain to see.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
And the quick contrast of an eclipse makes this effect plain to see.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
The triangle can now be seen at the back, which can be a fun decorative accent to a backless top or plain white T-shirts.
—Jana Ackermann, Glamour, 5 Apr. 2024
Meg and her staff wrap books in plain paper and write just a few vague words of description on the paper to guide customers' selection.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024
His plain hope is that the current Court will be sympathetic to Scalia’s reasoning.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2024
Noun
For many years, the arid plains and wide skies of Oklahoma did not radiate Hollywood dynamism.
—Matt Stevens, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Constant winds of up to 55 mph are forecast for the Interstate 25 corridor and eastern plains, with gusts up to 80 mph possible there.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2024
In This Article What Are Ramps? How To Cook Ramps
Where To Buy Ramps
Southern states are home to dozens, even hundreds, of indigenous plants that have fed the people who call these rolling hills, expansive plains, and marshy bottoms home for centuries.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
In between the two in size is silt, a mix of rock dust and minerals often found in fertile flood plains.
—Brian Darby, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
In her work with U.S. military veterans here on the Navajo Nation, Bernadine Tyler routinely logs 1,200 miles a month driving across an area the size of West Virginia, over high windswept plains dotted with rust-red mesas.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024
Still reeling from losing their daughter, the couple unexpectedly inherit a remote farm in the Venezuelan plains where they are soon drawn into a nether world.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
However, the white paper-mache bird was actually supposed to be a greater-sage grouse – a bird that lives in the North American plains.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Another spring snowstorm is setting up for the northern plains on Sunday and into early next week.
—Daniel Amarante, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Not only can this shirt be buttoned up and tucked into a pair of trousers, but it can also be worn loose and unbuttoned over a plain white tee for a day of sightseeing in fluctuating temperatures.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024
Then, there are Mango’s mesh Mary Janes, which look great with everything from a plain white tee to a must-have denim midiskirt.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024
Stewart also mysteriously swapped her black Chanel t-shirt into a plain white crop top roughly halfway through the video.
—EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024
This bit of climactic dialogue, hammered into plain yet insinuating and increasingly dangerous English by Herzog, is emblematic of this new production.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
There are plenty of reasons to savor the original movie, most of them having to do with the casting, some of it campy and awful in a truly wonderful way, some just plain spectacular.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Davis would have swatted or altered or just plain stopped much of that mess.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024
Thanks to Stone’s abundant charisma, Cruella marks one of the more memorable Disney remakes — chaotic, campy, and just plain fun.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024
But, all too often, a patient’s pain is dismissed or misdiagnosed—for instance, as allergies, IBS, a thyroid disorder, or just plain old period problems, as SELF previously reported.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
Senior reviewer Scott Gilbertson's daughter has worn these for two years— everywhere from the icy, windy Colorado plains to the windswept Outer Banks—and she's had toasty toes throughout.
—Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
Whereas his first billions were owed to plain, functional, durable clothing at minimal cost, today Uniqlo has moved up the value chain.
—Time, 13 Nov. 2023
My daughter has worn these for two years— everywhere from the icy, windy Colorado plains to the windswept Outer Banks—and she's had toasty toes throughout.
—WIRED, 10 Nov. 2023
Cruz spins these operations into digital content ranging from tips for aspiring investors to plain old-fashioned yacht-flaunting braggadocio.
—Michael Friedrich, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
While most places see snow at the onset, coastal areas likely mix with and changeover to plain rain overnight into Tuesday AM.
—Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2023
Flavored water generally refers to anything that adds flavoring to plain water, whether that be artificial syrups or powders, or something more natural, such as fruit.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 17 Apr. 2023
But there aren’t enough wires stretching from the state’s windy eastern plains to the mesa-top community.
—WIRED, 27 Feb. 2023
Southern areas of the state will at least turn to a wintry mix if not over to plain rain.
—Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to plain
Dictionary Entries Near plain
Cite this Entry
“Plain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plain. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plain
1 of 4 noun
: a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
plain
2 of 4 adjective1
: having no pattern or decoration
her dress was plain
2
: free of added or extra matter : pure
a glass of plain water
3
: open and clear to the sight
in plain view
5
a
: of common or average accomplishments or position : ordinary
plain people
b
: not complicated or hard to do
plain sewing
6
: neither ugly nor beautiful
plainly
adverb
plainness
noun
ˈplān-nəs
plain
3 of 4 adverb
: in a plain or simple manner
plain
4 of 4 adverb
: to a complete degree : totally
were plain overcome by all the problems
Etymology
Noun
Middle English plain "a stretch of nearly level treeless country," from early French plain (same meaning), derived from Latin planus "flat" — related to plane entry 1
Adverb
partly from Middle English plein (adjective) "entire, complete" (derived from Latin plenus "full") and partly from plain (adverb) "in a plain manner" (derived from Latin planus "flat, level")
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